Super for beehives



(No Model.) 3 sheets-'sheet `2.

G. o. FERGUSON. SU'EER FOR BBEHIVES.

No. 529,116. Patented Nov. 13, 1894.

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vUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE C. FERGUSON, OF ODELL, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO MATHIASOS WALD, OF HANOVER, KANSAS.

SUPER FOR BEEHIVES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 529,116, dated November13, 1894.

Application iled April 18, 1894. Serial No. 508,042. (No model.) Y

.To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE C. FERGUSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Odell, in the county of Gage and State of Nebraska, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Supers for Beehives, of whichthe following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in supers for bee hives.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofsupers, to provide, for controlling the passage of bees to the super,means, which will be protected from honey deposits and which will,therefore, always be free to operate, and to prevent the honey sectionsfrom sticking together.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings and pointed out in the claim hereto appended.

In the drawingsz-Figure lis a perspective view of a super embodying myinvention,with the lid and drop-door open. Fig. 2 is a similar view,with the follower and covering-plate removed. Fig. 3 is a similar viewwith the honey section trays removed. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectionof the super. Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the same, the sectionbeing taken through one of the slides.

Fig. 7 isa perspective view of the super provided with comb-frames, someof which are omitted to show the .arrangement and construction. Fig. 8is a similar View, showing the super provided with honey section holdersin lieu of the honey-section trays, and showing the manner of supportingthe same within the super. Fig. 9 is a detail view, in perspective, ofone of the` honey section holders and contained honey Fig. 6- is adetail view in perspective of one of thel honey section trays.

the upper edge of the rear Wall 4. Suitable fastening devices areprovided for the lid or cover and the drop`door, such devices, in theconstruction illustrated, consisting of a common form of hook arrangedto engage a corresponding eye.

The super is lvprovided with a false bottom 7, which is arranged uponthe main bottom 2, and these parts are provided with a series ofregistering openings 8, forming bee passages. 6o Fitted in countersunkgrooves or ways 9, in the upper surface of the main bottom 2, and belowlthe plane of the false bottom, are slides l0, provided with openings11, which are adapted, in certain positions of the slides, to registerwith the openings 8. These slides eX- ceed in length the Width of thesuper, and are provided at their extremities with perforations l2,adapted for the reception of lockingpins 13. When the slides areextended for- 7o ward and project at their front ends beyond the frontdrop-door 5 of the super, the openings ll register with the openings 8,and the locking pins 13 may be inserted in the perforations12; and whenthe slides are moved 75 to the opposite position and project beyond therear Wall 4 of the super, the openings 8 are closed, and the lockingpins13 may be inserted in the perforations 12 in the rear ends of theslides.

Secured to the upper surface of the false bottom are thesupporting-strips 14, arranged .near and parallel with the side walls ofthe super, a front supporting-strip 15 and an intermediatesupporting-strip 16, which is preferably divided or out away at itscenter to form bee passages, to allow the bees to pass from one side ofsaid intermediate strip to the other. The movement of the slide islimited,bymeansofascrewl7,extendingthrough 9o a longitudinal slot 1S ofthe slide. It will be understood that this construction is duplicated inthe other slide.

A honey section tray 19 is employed, and it consists of front and rearWalls 20 and 2l, 95 respectively, and the side Walls 22, said front andrear Walls being provided at their lower edges and in their inner faceswith vertical kei-fs 23, in which are fitted the vertical Webportions24, of the supporting-bars 25.YY These 1o 52eme supporting-bars arepreferably made of sheet metal folded upon its longitudinal center toform the said web, and having the free edges of the strip turned outwardlaterally to form siipporting-ledges 26. Upon these supportingledges,and held separated at their contiguous ends by the vertical webs, arethe honey sections 27, the construction of which forms no part of mypresent invention. Any desired number of these honey section trays 19may be employed, the construction illustrated in the drawings beingprovided with two, the upper tray being covered by means of a coveringplate 2S, which rests at its ends upon shoulders 29 formed by cleatsarranged adjacent to the upper edges of the side walls 3, which arerabbeted, and the upper surface of said plate is Hush with the upperedges of said walls. Between the front sides of the honey section traysand the inner surface of the drop-door is arranged a hollowrectaiigiilar follower 3l, provided at its upper edge with ears 30, saidfollower, 3l, being provided with a cavity or recess formed by marginalflanges or strips to avoid interference with the handles 32 on the frontends of the trays.

In Fig. 7 of the drawings I have shown the super of the hive providedwith comb frames 33, in lieu of the honey sections and trays abovedescribed, each comb frame being provided at its upper edge with ears34, for engagement with the above-described cleats at the upper edges ofthe side walls of the super.

The function and use of these frames are so well known in the art as torender further explanation thereof unnecessary.

`Nhen preferred, a series of independent honey section holders 35, eachprovided with two or more honey sections 3G, may be arranged in thesuper in place of the honey section trays hereinbefore described. Theseindependent honey section holders are shown in Fig. 8, and in detail inFig. 9; and they are provided in their lower sides with openings 37,adapted to register with corresponding openings 38 in the honeysections. The honey section holders are provided with duplicate oppositedoors or closures 39, to facilitaie the removal and replacement of thehoney sections. The sides or doors 39 of the honey section holders, inFig. 9 of the accompanying drawings, are shown swung down to ahorizontal position, for the purpose of showing the honey sectionscontained within the holder; and they are provided with iiexible bandsor strips, which are adapted to be tied at the top of the holder forsecuring the sides or doors in a vertical position. l

From the above description it willbe seen that the separation of theslides, which control the passages to the super, prevents the stickingof said slides, by means of a deposit of honey; and it will be seenfurthermore, that the above-described construction of honey sectiontrays, by holding the end s of the honey sections out of contact,facilitates the independent removal thereof.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details ofconstruction may b e resorted to without departing from the principle,or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention. Y

A super comprising a bottom having openings fOImDg bee passages, thefalse bottom having corresponding openings, the side walls 3 havingrabbeted upper edges, and provided on their inner faces with horizontalcleats, the rear wall 4, the lid 0r cover hinged to the rear Wall, thedrop door hinged to the bottom at the front edge thereof, the slidesconcealed within the bottom and provided with perforations adapted toregister with those of the bottom, the supporting strips located on theupper face of the false bottom. adgacent to the edges thereof, theintermediate supporting strip 16 cut away to form central bee passages,the honey section trays supported by the strips above the false bottom,honey sections located within the said trays, the vertically disposedfollower suspended from said cleats and provided at its inner face witha recess or cavity, and a covering boardor plate supported by saidcleats and having its upper face flush with the upper edges of the wallsof the super, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE C. FERGUSON.

Witnesses:

JOHN H. Siednns, H. H. SIMMS.

